Ask your home broadband provider to oppose new Police snooping powers! We'll help you email your provider directly - together we can stop the Police bugging our computers!

The Investigatory Powers Bill is currently being debated in the UK Parliament.

It will give the Police highly intrusive surveillance powers over everyone of us. Amongst other things, they will be able to force YOUR home broadband provider (e.g. BT, Virgin, Sky, TalkTalk) to put malware* on your computer. It means they can switch on your devices webcam or microphone, and use them to watch and listen in on you. They will be able to remotely access any file on your computer. They will be able to undermine the security of your data and devices. All without you knowing.
While we understand that the Police need the right investigation tools to detect and prevent serious crime, there are a lot of problems with giving them such intrusive new powers:

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1. Police hacking will make us less safe

Letting the Police put malware on computers, or even on  computer networks (such as an office building or an entire telephone exchange) makes us all less safe. It means that the technology we use every day would be made less secure, and more prone to attack from cyber criminals.
Our devices must be kept secure. We store so much personal information on our computers - personal emails, online bank accounts, online shopping accounts, family photos, text messages, confidential work documents, etc. None of this would be safe from leaks and hacks if the Police can order your broadband provider to disable security.

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2. Your internet history will be accessible to the Police without a warrant

  
The Police could look up every website you’ve visited in the last year. That will be hugely revealing of who you are. The Police won’t even need a warrant to access this information, enabling them to go on ‘fishing expeditions’. Your broadband provider does not want to store this information about you, partly because of how difficult it will be and partly because they know they can never guarantee it won’t get leaked or hacked.

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3. No one will tell you this is happening

Your broadband provider will be gagged from telling you that they are having to comply with the Police’s demands. Even if you are their customer and even if you’re not suspected of any crime whatsoever.

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4. Increased cost, reduced safety

The Government has no idea of the cost. A recent estimate was £1.2 billion, or more than seven times the highest Home Office estimate. This cost could be passed to you and would mean higher broadband and mobile phone bills. You will be paying for the Police to spy on you! 
With this money they could employ 3,000 more full time police officers for a decade - at a time of spending cuts across Police forces. Mass surveillance of the population does not make us safer, but Police Officers on the streets do.
Our Police already have very powerful investigation and surveillance capabilities. They do not need such intrusive powers that will impact on everyone's right to privacy.
We are calling on Internet Service Providers to publicly oppose the Bill in its current form. With pressure from their customers they are far more likely to take action!

ASK YOUR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER TO OPPOSE NEW POLICE SNOOPING POWERS NOW!

*software which is specifically designed to disrupt or damage a computer system.

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